I Pretend Nothing With YouUkázka

Who do you say I am?

Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do you say I am?” Peter boldy answered, “You are the Anointed One. You are the son of the Living God.” This was a turning point in their relationship. It was a defining moment. 

There are moments in life when relationships need to be defined. For example, when I was first hanging out with my husband Reese, we’d talk on the phone, do some casual dating, and enjoy the process of getting to know each other. 

However, as we spent more time together, there came a point when Reese decided it was appropriate to define the relationship. I remember him coming over to my house in his big pickup truck (that’s what he drove when we were dating and I loved it) to get me to go to the ice cream place. We had established a routine of sitting on the back of the truck and eating ice cream cones together.

Before we went, he boldly told me he liked me and wanted to take the relationship to another level. He went on to say that he wanted me to be his girlfriend. My heart full, I gladly accepted this offer, and off we went to our ice cream date to celebrate our new status. 

I love this memory. I cherish it. There’s security and clarity in knowing where you stand in your relationship with someone. Jesus also wants to define our relationship with Him. There comes a time after He pursues us where we have to decide: Are we in or out? Is He Lord of our lives or just a “friend” that we like to hang out with while we’re dating around? 

Jesus wants us to Himself. He wants intimacy with us. He is God, and He wants the rightful place in our lives. He wants us because He loves us. He wants us to have a safe place in Him where we can be ourselves and know where the relationship stands so we can be secure, trust Him, and not pretend with Him. He wants the real deal. 

When Jesus posed this question to the disciples, He asked them, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He then asked them, just like he asks us all, “But who do you say I am?” People will say a lot of things about who Jesus is in this life, but we all have to answer that question personally. He wants a personal relationship with us. 

I love what happens next: Peter speaks up and says that Jesus is Lord. Jesus loved his eagerness and his answer, because it was the correct one. Let’s read what He tells Peter in The Passion Translation: 

“You are favored and privileged Simeon, son of Jonah! For you didn’t discover this on your own, but my Father in heaven has supernaturally revealed it to you. I give you the name Peter, a stone. And this truth of who I am will be the bedrock foundation on which I will build my church—my legislative assembly, and the power of death will not be able to overpower it! I will give you the keys of heaven’s kingdom realm to forbid on earth that which is forbidden in heaven, and to release on earth that which is released in heaven.” 

Wow! Look at what happens when we call Jesus Lord in our own lives. When we correctly define who Jesus is to us, He gives us a new identity in Him. He gives us His spirit to dwell inside of us. Like Peter, we then become a living temple that holds the spirit of the living God. We have direct access to Jesus and His power. Death holds no power over us. We’re free from sin and death. We’re given the keys to the kingdom of heaven, and we have supernatural power on earth in the name of Jesus. 

Jesus wants us to call Him Lord. He has great and awesome things for us to accomplish on this earth. We don’t have to pretend, hide, be afraid of our circumstances, or try to cover our shame. We’re alive in Him and He’s in love with who we are! We can bring him our failures, sins, doubts, and fears and be reassured, heard, loved, changed, freed, and prayed for. He’s on our side. 

So, who do you say Jesus is? Ask yourself who He is in your life and define your relationship with Him today. You can’t be real with someone you don’t know. You can’t trust someone if you don’t know them personally. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you. He will. Invite Him in as Lord and know that in Him, you’re safe and loved. 

I pray that you find Him today and boldly proclaim, “Jesus, I pretend nothing with you.”